Best Cordless Lawn Mower: Reviews of My Top 7 Battery Powered Mowers

In this article, we’re going to look for the best cordless lawn mower.

I’m going to review several models in this guide. Not only that, but we’re also going to look at the pros and cons of battery-powered mowers and when you might choose one over the other types of lawn mowers.

1. Aerotek Cordless Lawn Mower Review: Best Cordless Lawn Mower For Most People

Key Features

My choice for the best cordless lawn mower for most people is a surprising one, I’ll admit.

I mean, Aerotek are hardly a big name in the lawn care industry. They kind of remind me of a cross between G-Tech and Ryobi.

G-Tech because they make similar kinds of products that are well made but good value. And Ryobi because all of their gardening tools work on the same principle as Ryobi One+. One battery for all of their tools.

Anyway, let’s talk about the Aerotek…

What’s Good About the Aerotek Cordless Lawn Mower

As I just mentioned, the Aerotek cordless lawn mower is part of a bigger range of gardening tools which use the same battery. So if you’re a fan or cordless but the idea of using several different batteries and chargers makes you cringe, then Aerotek is a good solution.

Straight out of the box this lawn mower is very straight forward to assemble and charging the battery takes just an hour.

Provided your lawn is in fairly good nick, you’ll get 35 minutes of runtime which should be enough time to mow 300m². Although this depends of several variables including; how fast you walk, the length of the grass, how wet or dry it is etc.

It’s also a very easy machine to use. Simply lift the smoky grey flap on the top of the mower, plug the battery in and off you go.

At 13.4kg the Aerotek is light and easy to move around but it still feels robust and well made.

The cutting width is a decent 40cm as is the 50-litre capacity grass collection box. When you’d rather keep the nutrients from the grass cuttings in the lawn, simply attach the mulching attachment.

You have six different height settings to choose from which ranges from 25mm – 75mm. Selecting your desired setting is child’s play thanks to the lever which is smooth to operate.

I have to say, it leaves a very acceptable finish too.

Thanks to its brushless motor, this lawn mower is not only quiet, there’s no maintenance to do apart from keeping it clean at the blade sharp. Cleaning it is easy too as it’s fairly smooth underneath.

When you’re not using it, the handles collapse in a kind of scissoring motion so you can store it away nice and small.

What’s Not So Good

There are a couple of things little niggles with the Aerotek. They’re not deal breakers but still worth mentioning.

Firstly, the instructions are vague at best and the images are pretty shocking. It’s a good job the machine is easy to assemble and use because you couldn’t rely on the instructions.

Secondly, the batteries are sold as pre-charged but when mine arrived it was about halfway charged. This is probably due to the fact that mower was sat in a warehouse losing charge while waiting to be sold.

When you get yours, just charge it up right from the start.

Also, the rear wheels are set outside of the cutting width of the blade. To cut the edges of your lawn you’ll need to drop the rear wheel off the edge which puts you at risk of scalping. It’s safer to finish off the edges with a pair lawn edging shears.

If you have a mowing strip this won’t be an issue.

And lastly, if you’re a sucker for a striped finish, this won’t do it.

Key Features

It has to be said, Bosch makes some pretty good stuff and the Rotak 430Li Ergo Flex is another such tool.

What’s Good About the Bosch Rotak 430Li Ergo Flex

Unboxing the mower and putting it together is a fairly simple job which is made slightly easier by the instructions. Albeit, they are fairly basic.

This particular model comes with two batteries, each one giving you 30-40 minutes worth of run time, depending on how tall and/or wet the grass is, etc. The batteries a couple of hours each to charge but will be 80% of the way there in an hour.

Considering the size of this cordless mower, it’s just 13.9kg so it’s really quite light and easy to move around. This is also helped by the super comfy Ergo Flex handles.

It has a 43cm cutting width and a 50-litre grass box so you can mow a fairly large area before stopping to empty the bag.

You can choose between 6 height settings so you can cut as low as 20mm and as high as 70mm.

Another nice feature on this machine is the grass combs (the red fins on the side). They’re designed to guide the grass into the blade when mowing along edges where the grass meets a wall or raised decking. This reduces the need to finish off with a strimmer.

Talking about the edges of your lawn, the Bosck Rotak 430Li has a roller between the rear wheels. This means you can roll right over the edges of your lawn without the risk of scalping it. It also means you’ll be left with those oh so beautiful stripes in your grass when you’re finished.

What’s Not So Great

This is really is a very good mower.

However…

…The instructions let me down.

When I tried to start it, I turned it on, pressed the start button and then the lever, but nothing happened.

What I didn’t realise was that you need to turn the batteries on too. The instructions didn’t really make this clear.

Also, considering the price (this is a fairly expensive lawn mower) it does feel quite cheap in places. That said, it is very lightweight and it didn’t affect the way it performed so maybe I’m being picky.

What Other Users Think

Again, this a very well reviewed machine.

The biggest compliments are the quality of cut and striped finish.

That said, some users have complained that the grass collection box is a bit of a pain to build.

The main complaint though is about the batteries not lasting very long. Some have said that after only a few months they won’t hold charge. My guess is that people try to power through long, thick, wet, unkempt grass and working the batteries harder than they should.

This shouldn’t be an issue on a well-maintained lawn.

If your lawn isn’t in the best condition, a cordless mower probably isn’t the best choice anyway.

4. G-Tech Falcon Review: Very Popular Among Users

Key Features

G-Tech are typically known for their range vacuum cleaners which have an excellent reputation.

A couple of years ago though, they ventured into the gardening market with the G-Tech Falcon. This has become one of the most popular and fastest selling cordless lawn owers I have seen.

What’s Good About the G-Tech Falcon Cordless Lawn Mower

Well, right out of the box it just looks cool! It’s grey and fluorescent yellow design makes it look pretty space age. I think so anyway.

Assembling it is simple enough and you’ll get 40 minutes of run time which will cover up to 400sq meters. Subject to the length of the grass etc.

It weighs in at nearly 17kg but it’s still easy enough to push around.

You get a fairly wide 43cm cutting width which is partnered with a 40-litre grass box. In terms of height adjustment, there are six levels that range from 30mm up to 80mm. Adjusting the height is super simple, using the big lever on the side – very similar to the Aerotek I reviewed earlier in this article.

I have to say, it leaves a rather nice finish when you mow a little higher.

Cleaning the G-Tech is dead simple as the underside is smooth. Many lawn mowers have plastic ridges underneath which strengthen the cutting deck but they make cleaning a fiddle.

No issues here and I’m glad to say the lack of ribbing doesn’t affect its strength. The Falcon is a very robust mower.

When you’re not using it, the telescopic handles collapse down so you can store it in a fairly small space.

What’s Not So Great

In my opinion, there are one or two design issues that could be better.

The first one is the telescopic handle. As a storage solution it’s a good idea, but for handling, I don’t like it. It has a tendency to flex and twist so if you try to turn without ‘doing a wheelie’ nothing will happen, apart from twisting the handles. This is also the case when floating over the edges of the lawn.

Another niggle I have is that the flap to the grass box opens to nearly the same height as the handles mid-brace. I trapped by fingers a couple of times while trying to remove the box. It wasn’t like trapping my hand in a car door and it didn’t hurt but still, this design element could have been thought through a bit better.

The last and the biggest gripe for me is the G-Tech’s charge time. It takes a whopping 5 hours to charge the battery. I personally don’t want to wait for 5 hours before I can mow my lawn. You can buy a ‘Quick Charger’ for £99 but as the G-Tech Falcon isn’t the cheapest mower to begin with, it should come with it in my opinion.

Sure, you can always charge it overnight, but with the competition offering 2-hour charging and less, I think this lets the G-Tech down.

Oh, and because it’s wheeled, it won’t stripe your lawn either.

What Other Users Think

Despite my misgivings about this lawn mower, G-Tech has sold thousands and thousands of them. As a result, the machine has picked up over 13,000 user reviews online and overall it’s scored 4.6 out of 5 stars.

So despite what I think about it, other users love it.

I spent hours and hours pouring over the online reviews as there are so many. A lot of the low ratings have comments like, ‘I’ve received my mower, but because it is mid-winter, I have yet to assemble it, let alone use it’.

Other low marks seem to be based on delivery and that looks like the fault is with the courier.

If it wasn’t for these, I think the overall rating would be more than 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Main comments are that it’s easy to use – even for pensioners, how well it works and the quality of finish.

That said, some people have said the finish could be better and the 30mm lowest cutting height isn’t low enough. One or two people also complained that it doesn’t pick up all the clippings when using the lowest setting.

One or two have said there’s didn’t cope well on bumpy lawns. To be fair, a battery-powered mower isn’t made for blasting over uneven ground.

5. Ryobi OLM1833H One+ Review: The Best Cordless Mower For Small Lawns

Key Features

If you have a small lawn then the Ryobi OLM1833H One+ might just be the best cordless lawn mower for you.

What’s Good About the Ryobi OLM1833H One+

The Ryobi is pretty similar to the Aerotek I mentioned earlier in that it’s part of a wider range of tools that use the same battery. In fact, it was Ryobi that made this system famous.

So once you’ve finished cutting the grass you can plug the battery into Ryobi’s cordless seed spreader and overseed your lawn, before plugging it into the circular power saw to build a decked area.

It’s a genius idea.

But back to the lawn mower…

Like all of Ryobi’s tools, this lawn mower is well made and feels robust. Putting it together is dead simple – it’s two bolts. The instructions are on the side of the box too so you really can’t get it wrong.

You can buy the mower with or without the battery and charger but Ryobi recommends you only use their 4.0ah or 5.0ah batteries.

Charging the battery takes an hour (if you order the kit I’m recommending, if you already own a different charger, it may take longer) and for that, you get half an hour of run time. Plenty of time to mow 250 sq meters of lawn.

There are 5 height settings that range from 25mm to 65mm and it features what Ryobi call ‘Easy Edge’. This is grass combs on the side of the mower which guide the blades of grass into the cutting deck. The idea is that you’ll spend little time edging your lawn as a result.

So all in all, it leaves a good finish.

The cutting width is 33cm and the grass box is 30-litres. Coupled with the fact that it weighs in at just 12kg, it’s perfect for smaller gardens.

Manoeuvering is also made easier thanks to the ergonomic handles which are too dissimilar to the Bosch Rotak I reviewed earlier.

Another nice feature is the battery itself which gives you an indication of how much charge is in it. Simply press the little yellow button and it’ll light up to show you have much charge you’re working with.

What’s Not So Great

Firstly, I found the height adjustment isn’t a smooth as some of the other models I’ve tested. I found it was easier to put the mower on its side.

Also, it has wheels so it won’t leave a stripy finish.

Apart from that, I didn’t have much to complain about.

What Other Users Think

Because of its One+ System, Ryobi has quite a loyal customer base. As a result, the reviews for this lawn mower are overwhelmingly positive.

The main comments are based around how light and easy to use it is as well as the quality of finish.

One or two have complained about the shoot to the grass box clogging up when cutting wet grass. However, wet grass sticks to things and the same could be said for any other lawn mower.

The battery seems to be a point for discussion. Some people are surprised by how long it runs, others complain that it doesn’t last long enough. I guess this depends on how big your lawn is. If you have a large area to cut, the battery probably won’t last long enough. The cutting with means more trips up and down the lawn which uses charge.

On smaller lawns though, I found there was no problem.

Overall Thoughts

Genuinely, I think the Ryobi OLM833H One+ is a top contender for the best cordless mower for small lawns. Just don’t expect it to work miracles on larger areas.

The words ‘small’ and ‘cheap’ are probably the reasons it’s such a hit.

What’s Good About the Flymo Might-Mo 300Li

Firstly, its size and weight.

With a weight of less than 10kg and a cutting width of just 30cm, manoeuvring it around even the smallest lawns is a doddle.

You get 30 minutes of run time from a 2-hour charge which Flymo say is enough to mow 250sq meters.

There are 5 cutting heights to choose from which range between 25mm – 65mm and a 30-litre capacity grass box. This should be more than enough for small lawn owners.

It has to be said, the finish it leaves is rather good. Much better than I was expecting if I’m being honest.

What’s Not So Good

Firstly, it feels cheap. That’s because it is.

Secondly, the battery…

…If you cut the grass weekly and your lawn is fairly level, you should have no problem.

However, if;

Your lawn isn’t very level and you hit a bump in the lawn, the battery might come loose (it did for me) and,

If you only cut the grass every few weeks when it’s long and maybe damp, it will sap the battery. As such, you might need a few charges to get through the job.

What Other Users Think

If you look on Amazon, you’ll see the Flymo Mighty-Mo is reviewed fairly highly. If you look at Google (who collate reviews from all over the web) it’s even higher.

So people do like it.

It’s compact size, light weight and ease of use are all commented on.

However, there are several users that agree with my comments about the battery. Many users say it doesn’t last as long as advertised. That said, I think many people expect too much from it.

Also, a few people have commented on the mechanism that locks the battery in place. Some have said that it pops out when the mower hits a bump (as it did when I tested it), others have said that the mechanism seized shut which made removing the battery difficult.

What’s Good About the Allett Liberty 43

The Allett Liberty 43 is the top model in their cordless cylinder mower range and is a sublime mower for lawns of up to 500sq meters.

They also make the Liberty 30 and the Liberty 35 if you need a smaller machine.

It has a 410-watt motor, powered by a 10A 40V Lithium-Ion battery. A 100-minute charge will give you around 40 minutes of run time.

It cuts beautifully thanks to the 6 bladed cutting cylinder which gives you 79 cuts per meter.

And to make sure you cut every single blade of grass, there is a fixed rake behind the front roller which stands the grass up right before it’s cut.

That said, if you want an even better cut, you can upgrade to a 10 bladed cutting cylinder.

Mowing heights range from 6mm – 32mm. So you can either create a bowling green finish or create the most beautiful lawn stripes thanks to its front and rear roller.

It weighs in at 38.5kg so it’s by far the heaviest machine on this list but that weight contributes to the intensity of the striping effect. It’s also self-propelled so pushing it around the garden is no problem at all.

And the Liberty 43 isn’t just a lawn mower.

You can change the blade cylinder for other cartridges (for an additional cost) and take care of all aspects of caring for an ornamental lawn.

Why Choose a Cordless Lawn Mower?

Firstly, the size of gardens in the UK is always shrinking, especially in cities and built up areas. Property developers sacrifice garden size so they can fit more houses into a plot of land to make more money.

Petrol mowers are completely unnecessary in small gardens like these.

The second reason is that although gardens (and hence, lawns) are getting smaller, They’re not all perfectly flat and immaculate where a mechanical push mower would excel.

Also, if your lawn is small, the cost of buying a robot lawn mower just isn’t worth it for most people.

So that leaves the regular, electric mower and even hover mowers as they’re generally mains powered.

However, battery-powered mowers have one big advantage over regular, electric mowers. And that is the fact that they’re not limited by the length of a power cord.

You can only use a regular electric mower a few meters away from a power source. For many people, this power source is indoors. This often means trailing an extension lead outside through a door or window.

Then there’s the fact that you constantly have to grapple with the power cordy to avoid mowing over it and giving yourself a nasty shock.

This then, makes cordless lawn mowers a very good option for many people.

You Might Not Want to Choose a Cordless Mower

As good as cordless lawn mowers are, they’re not the best choice in some situations.

If you have large lawns then a cordless lawn mower might not be the best choice. Sure, you won’t be hampered by a power cable but you’ll probably run out of charge before you finish the job.

This, of course, can be combatted by buying more batteries but it adds to the costs. For large lawns, either a petrol mower, a ride on mower, or even a robot mower would be a better choice.

Also, if you’re not very green-fingered and you don’t cut the grass as often as you should, a battery-powered machine might struggle. It will lack the power to get through longer, wetter grass and will often jam up and stop when faced with this kind of challenge.

A 240 volt, powered lawn mower would probably be a better choice.

Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Cordless Mower For You and Your Garden

When deciding which will be the best cordless mower for you and your garden there are a few things to consider;

The Size of Your Garden

Just because I said earlier that I’d recommend a petrol mower of you have large lawns doesn’t mean battery mowers are only suitable for small lawns.

The best cordless lawn mowers be used on lawns that are several hundred square feet.

The size of your garden will dictate many other other you’ll need to consider.

As follows…

The Run Time of the Battery

Some cordless machines have better batteries than others. Added to that is the fact that some lawn mowers are powered by two batteries instead of one.

As a result, some mowers will run for longer than others.

The main deciding factor will come down to the size and quality of your lawn. If your lawn is on the larger side you’ll need a machine that runs for long enough to complete the job.

Also, cutting through long or well grass will be harder on the battery and as a result, will use more resources. This will deplete the battery quicker.

The Charge Time of The Battery

The best batteries not only last longer, but they’re also quicker to charge.

A good battery will take around an hour to charge. However, some cheap batteries can take as long as 5 hours.

This means cheaper batteries can cost up to five times more to charge than a good one. Which, in the long run, makes that mower more expensive to use.

The Cutting Width

For example, a 20-inch cutting width is 25% bigger than a 15-inch cutting width. As a result, it’ll take you 25% less time to mow the whole lawn.

So if you have a larger lawn, choose a wider cutting width.

Bear in mind though that a larger cutting width means a bigger, heavier machine which might be cumbersome on a small lawn. If you have a smaller lawn, choose a smaller cutting width. This will make the mower easier to handle.

Height Adjustment

The level of height adjustment often isn’t even considered when someone buys a new lawn mower.

You shouldn’t ever cut more than a third off the height of the grass at any one time. Doing so can shock and weaken the grass, making your lawn more susceptible to weed and moss takeover as well as making it less tolerant to diseases.

If you’re the type of person who only cuts the grass every few weeks when it’s long, you’ll need plenty of height adjustment. Not only to make sure you don’t mow too short but also because cutting long grass is harder on the batteries and will cause them to run out sooner than you’d want.

Additional Features

Some machines come with added features such as extra batteries, the ability to mulch grass etc.

Consider which, if any of these features are important to you and factor them in to your decision.

Warranty and Support

Manufacturers have to offer a 12-month guarantee by law (Disclaimer: I’m a gardener, not a lawyer so I’m not the person to come to for advice on this), however, some offer 2-year guarantees some companies offer more than that.

If warranty and support is important to you, consider this before you make a purchase – especially if you spend a lot of money.

Allett Liberty 43: The Best Cordless Cylinder Mower

Cordless lawn mowers are becoming ever more popular and there are lots of them on the market. So many in fact that I can’t possibly review them all.

The fact is, there are a lot of good models on the market (and some pretty rubbish ones too). I have tried to find the best cordless mower depending on the circumstance you might find yourself in, be it budget, needing a roller to leave a striped finish or the size of your garden.

This is what helped me to narrow down my choice to only 6 models.

Just understand that the six mowers I have chosen are the only ones to choose from. There are hundreds. So let this article just be a guide rather than a rock solid, ‘You must buy this mower…’ kind of article.

Over to You

What do you think is the best battery mower?

Do you own a model that I haven’t mentioned, or are you considering a model that I haven’t reviewed here?

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